Thirty firefighters tackle Bridgnorth house blaze
A fire ripped through a large house near Bridgnorth, gutting its kitchen and parts of an upstairs bedroom.
More than 30 firefighters were sent to tackle the huge blaze in Oldbury, near Bridgnorth.
A smoke alarm and a pet dog woke up the family, who were able to get out without any serious injury.
Seven fire crews were mobilised from Bridgnorth, Shrewsbury, Telford, Tweedale and Wellington.
An ambulance was sent to the scene and six people were treated at the scene after breathing in smoke.
Fire investigation officers were returning to the scene of the fire this morning to try to discover the cause, although it is not thought to be suspicious.
The detached house was left badly damaged following the fire last night, just after 11pm.
An aerial ladder platform, the Environmental Protection Unit and an ambulance were also sent to the house.
The fire, which is believed to have been started by a tumble-drier, started in the downstairs kitchen before spreading upstairs.
The flames were eventually brought under control at 2am today but firefighters remained at the scene to damp down and to make further investigations.
Incident Commander Mark Weaver, based at Wellington Fire Station, said: "Firefighters from Much Wenlock and Bridgnorth were first mobilised at 11.15am the owner reported a kitchen fire.
"The kitchen on the ground floor was ablaze when they arrived and the bedroom above had also been affected.
"Because of the size of the property we sent four fire engines immediately, which were followed by more support vehicles, a platform ladder and a safety team. There were seven pumps altogether.
"The crews from Much Wenlock and Bridgnorth had done a fantastic job stopping the spread of the fire, which was contained to the kitchen and first floor bedroom.
"The owners had been alerted by their pet dog and also a smoke alarm.
"The husband had suffered slight smoke inhalation but was just treated on the scene as a precaution."
Mr Weaver said an investigation would be carried out into the exact cause of the fire but it was believed to have been started by a tumble-drier.
"The husband, wife and children got out quickly and were safely out of the house before firefighters arrived," he said.
"The owners had been worried about their pet poodle, but it had managed to get itself and was found safe and well.
"Damping down continued throughout Monday morning and we used thermal imaging cameras."
